Nearly £2 million is to be spent revamping the road linking the Golden Mile to Leicester city centre.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has outlined plans to remodel Belgrave Gate from the new Haymarket bus station to Belgrave Circle under the Burleys flyover and beyond.

New cycle lanes are proposed for both sides of the road, while the road itself will be narrowed from four lanes of traffic to two - one each way.

A stretch of bus lane is also to be removed.

Artist's impression of how Belgrave Gate will look

The view of Belgrave Gate now (Image: Chris Gordon)

The city council says it wants to create a safer and more attractive route for pedestrians and cyclists.

The road and pavements will be resurfaced, with bus stops and new loading bays built in.

Work on the project is expected to start in January and take a year to complete.

Improvements are also proposed to the Burleys Way roundabout, with a new footpath and cycleway running underneath the flyover, providing a more direct and safer route for pedestrians and cyclists along Belgrave Gate.

Another artist's impression looking from Burleys Way

How the view from Burleys Way looks now (Image: Chris Gordon)

The existing Lotus Flowers public art, installed by the council in 2000, could be relocated to nearby Archdeacon Lane next to Charter Street, where a new pedestrian bridge is due to be built over the Grand Union Canal so people can get to Abbey Park.

North of Burleys Way, a separate cycleway and footpath will be installed along the central reservation, to link in with improvements made to Belgrave Circle following the removal of the flyover.

This will require the removal of the existing inbound bus lane between Melton Street and St Mark’s Street.

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The council says all pedestrian crossings along the route will be improved and upgraded, and roads will be resurfaced.

Overall £1.9milllion is being spent on the scheme and would be largely funded with Government cash from the Local Growth Fund.

In the past the giving over of lanes of traffic to cyclists and pedestrians in the city centre has proved controversial with motorists who say it adds to congestion.

What Sir Peter Soulsby says

“Belgrave Gate was part of the Charles Street/Clock Tower bypass back in the 1920s and ‘30s.

“That function is now performed by the inner ring road.

“Belgrave Gate is very wide with comparatively little traffic.

“It has been neglected and many people have told me it is wide and bleak.

“This will provide a much safer route for cyclists, adding to the growing network of new cycleways in and around the city centre. We also want to make better use of the space under the Burleys Way flyover and open it up to pedestrians and cyclists.

“This is part of a much wider ambition which – over the next two to three years – will also see the areas around the soon-to-be reopened Haymarket Theatre and the Clock Tower completely revamped.”